Rain
by perforated
Summary: AU! Even if Tsukushi was never red-tagged, and their lives were a little different- the ties, the friendships, and the loves would remain the same...
1. Droplet 00: It Was Him

**Rain**

by pure.innocence

Disclaimer: I don't own Hana Yori Dango or its characters. They are the works of Kamio Youko. I do not own the lyrics below. They come from the song "Waiting in Vain" by Annie Lennox.

_ -From the very first time I rest my eyes on you, boy_

_ My heart said follow through-_

Droplet 00: It Was Him

It was raining outside. Not a storm, not a sprinkling, but real rain. The sky was cloudy, but it was beautiful. The rain pitter-pattered like bullets onto the clear glass, and you could almost see the water nymphs dancing joyously among the water pearls. The sky was the most perfect shade of gray with tints of blue melted in. The green clover field across the street was swaying gently to the rhythm of the wind. The earth opened up and welcomed the droplets of rain. Everything felt so.. alive. It was the first time she saw him. He was walking down the street with such a carefree manner, as if he had no cares whatsoever, as if he didn't realize that he was dripping wet, and that his hair was covering his eyes. But he was _beautiful_. Suddenly, he glanced up through the blurred glass into her eyes. The depth of those blue-gray eyes imprinted a deep footstep into the sands of her heart. She thought she was in a dream. He was the perfect creature; no flaws were detected. Her thoughts shattered to pieces when her roommate yelled at her,

"Tsukushi! Come on! We're going to be late for work!"

She painfully tore her eyes away from the male specimen and answered her friend's call,

"Sorry, Yuki! I was... distracted."

With that Tsukushi hopped off the window sill and quickly ran to the front door where her friend Yuki awaited her. Yuki smiled kindly at her and gently said, 

"It's alright, but you know how the boss is when we're late." 

Tsukushi nodded, grabbed an umbrella, and the two ran their way out the door towards the bus stop. When the duo arrived, they were gasping for breath. Thankfully, they made it just as the bus halted to a stop.

"Whew! We made it just in time!" Yuki exclaimed cheerfully and flashed a grin at her still somewhat spacey friend. _Hmm... Tsukushi seems so far away..._

The girls reached a seat near the rear of the bus and sat down. Tsukushi turned her head to peer out the window at the rain once again. _Who was he? _

Slowly the bus came to a stop, and the two stepped off. Yuki trailed after a silent Tsukushi into the dango shop. As usual, Tsukushi took the mop while Yuki went behind her place at the counter. No matter how hard Tsukushi tried to concentrate on cleaning the floor, her thoughts always drifted back to a pair of blue-gray eyes hidden partially by tufts of wet brown hair. The eyes. They were hollow but searching desperately for something. _What?_ Her thoughts were disturbed as she heard the bell ringing signaling the arrival of a customer. Tsukushi turned around to greet the client. Unfortunately, as she was doing this, she swung her mop around also. Hence the reason her mop greeted the customer before she did. Right on the shin.

"OH! I'M SO SORRY! Are you ok? Can I do anything to help? It's not anything serious is it? Should I bring you to the hospital?" Tsukushi enquired incessantly with her head bowed down, but to her surprise, he started laughing. Slowly, she lifted her head to take a peek. 

There was no doubt about it. No two people could hold the same kind of mesmerizing blue-gray eyes. 

The handsome stranger spoke, "Thanks... I haven't laughed in a long time..."

It was him. 

~

Author's Notes: Now I realize this is really short. But note that it's 'Droplet 00,' so it's not necessarily a real chapter. Kind of like a prelude I guess. Tell me what you think. The reason I wrote this was to get some inspiration for Un Ciel Bleu. So hopefully, both stories will have a new chapter out soon! E-mail: yingerz@hotmail.com And also, sometimes_ italics_ denote thought. Hopefully you can tell. =)

Copyright Pure Innocence 2003


	2. Droplet 01: Lemon Madeira Cake

Disclaimer: I don't own Hana Yori Dango or its characters. They are the works of Kamio Youko. I do not own the lyrics below. They come from the song "Ordinary Day" by Vanessa Carlton.

_ -Just a boy_

_ Just an ordinary boy-_

**Two Years Later**

Droplet 01: Lemon Madeira Cake

Eitoku University. The last place on Earth Tsukushi wanted to be. The school for the rich and snobby. Why was she here? 

_ "Tsukushi, you know we don't have much money... but if you can make it big for yourself, then it will be a benefit to all of us! You know what's the easiest way to do that? Get yourself a rich husband at Eitoku!" _

Her mother- that was the sole reason she was standing there, on the grounds of Eitoku. Actually- that would be a lie. There was, perhaps, another reason Tsukushi chose Eitoku. Somewhere, in the back of her mind... she subconsciously hoped that _he_ would be here.

_ She was so relieved! He wasn't hurt and was laughing! She thanked the heavens for her good luck._

_ "I am so, so sorry..."_

_ He responded, "It's ok."_

_ "You know what? I'll treat you to some cake, and I won't take no for an answer!"_

_ "I'm not fond of sweets."_

_ "Well, that's fine! Because no one in the world, not even you, can resist a slice of lemon madeira cake!" _

_ Tsukushi ran behind the counter, cut out a slice of the cake, and handed it to the stranger. He slowly reached over to take it. His hand brushed hers for but a second. And she felt it. A tingling sensation creeping down her back. It was electrifying, his touch... _

_ She watched him take a small bite. Did he like it? She didn't know. While he was finishing the slice, she asked him some questions._

_ "So what school do you attend?"_

_ "I'm heading to Eitoku this fall."_

_ "Eitoku University? Wow, that's a really good school isn't it?"_

_ He didn't reply. Tsukushi silently observed him. He was the embodiment of everything she dreamed about... a tall, dark, and handsome stranger. Should she tell him she saw him strolling around in the rain? He didn't seem to be the type who would care anyway. Just a few minutes ago he was laughing, and now he looked so grave. This person... was different from any other she had met. _

_ "So why are you here anyway?" she attempted to make conversation._

_ "I don't know... the shop looked nice."_

_ What a peculiar guy..._

_ "Thanks," he said as he pushed the plate and fork onto the counter._

_ She didn't even realize he was done. Without saying another word, he walked out once again into the rain._

_ "Wait!" Tsukushi yelled as she grabbed her umbrella and chased after the man._

_ He was already half way down the street, but she pursued after him. _

_ "Mister!" He turned around._

_ "Take," she took a few huffs of air, "take this umbrella, or you'll catch a cold."_

_ He peered at her with a hint of surprise etched on his unreadable countenance, "Don't you need it?"_

_ "Don't worry about me, I'm going home with my friend."_

_ With that, she thrust the umbrella into his hand, gave him a smile, and ran back to the shop before he could attempt to give it back._

She never found out his name. Ever since that day, she wondered if fate would allow them to cross paths again. But what are the chances? For all she knew, he could be somewhere across the ocean right now. Did he know? Did he know that every night her dreams were filled with his eyes? Did he know that every time it rained, she heard his voice? Did he know that she offered lemon madeira cake to every stranger with his brown hair? _Did he know?_ He probably forgot all about her. Would he remember the color of her eyes? The sound of her voice? Would he remember the taste of that slice of cake? He never even told her if he liked it...

Maybe it was love at first sight. If such things existed in this world. Or maybe it was just the idealistic fancies of falling in love with a complete stranger. 

She was walking down the hall with her eyes to the ground, and someone knocked into her.

She quickly apologized, "Sorry, I wasn't looking."

"Wasn't looking? What are you, an idiot?"

Her temper flared as she saw the man's arrogant face, "You're calling me an idiot? I wasn't the only one not looking up, moron! It takes two people to bump into each other you know. Now that I think about it, it was probably your fault in the first place!"

"I would like you to know that I'm the world's one and only Doumyouji Tsukasa!"

She snorted, "Yeah, I don't think the world can hold another person as stupid as you."

She rejoiced silently at his burning face.

"Well... well... I'M THE LEADER OF F4, AND YOU'RE JUST A DUMB WOMAN!" And he hurriedly stalked away.

F4? Was that some kind of group for the mentally unstable?

What Tsukushi didn't notice was the silence of the people around her. Some were looking at her in awe. Quite a few were gazing upon her in admiration. And the rest were just staring at her in shock. But unfortunately, the silence only lasted for a total of two point three seconds. 

The whispers started, and the rumor mill began to spin at a rapid speed.

"I heard she came from one of those _normal_ high schools."

"Her name is Makoto something right?"

"That girl's an ex-convict!"

"Did you know that she's Doumyouji-sama's ex-girlfriend?"

Tsukushi almost laughed out loud at the last remark. She continued her way down the hall towards her writing class. She took a seat at the rear of the classroom right as the bell rang. Immediately, the teacher began to speak, 

"My name is Kajiyama Hiroko. You may call me Kajiyama-sensei. Writing is a subject with no standard. No one has the right to judge your writing except for you. Everyone else's comments are merely opinions. Only _you_ can determine whether the piece is a good one or not. You will be expected to turn all papers in on time, or you will fail. When I hand a paper back to you, there will not be a grade on it because I don't enjoy grading others' writings. However, I am forced to give you a grade, so if you would really like to know what you received, then see me after class. Now, in my classroom there will be rules-"

A curly-haired boy busted through the door and interrupted the professor's speech.

"Do you have an excuse for your tardy?"

"I don't need an excuse you old hag!"

"Very well, take a seat at the back of the classroom by that girl," Kajiyama pointed at Tsukushi, "and in this classroom, no one may call me anything other than Kajiyama-sensei. Is that understood?" Her eyes flashed dangerously around the room. Everyone, with the exception of Doumyouji, nodded.

"As I was saying, in this classroom, you will be expected to follow all the rules. Failing to do so will result in extra paperwork. So Doumyouji, you will turn in a narrative essay on one unforgettable memory in your childhood. I want it here tomorrow on time. I will not waste my breath on informing you of all the principles so refer to the poster over here," Kajiyama commanded as she pointed to the hanging on the wall. 

The lesson flashed by quickly due to the enormous load of class work Kajiyama had assigned. Makino worked diligently as she scribbled words, almost in a furious manner, onto the sheet of paper. Ideas flew onto the paper as fast as birds into the sky; she truly enjoyed writing. Her thoughts were in a completely different dimension, and she didn't realize as Kajiyama dismissed the class.

"Hey, what are you dreaming about you dazed fool? Class is over already."

It was that curly-haired freak called Doumyouji again.

"What I'm thinking about doesn't concern you!"

Tsukushi packed up her books and raced out the door. When lunch time came, she found she had no one to sit with, but that problem didn't last long. A cute-looking girl with wavy auburn came her way and introduced herself,

"Hi! You're Makino-sempai right? I'm Sanjou Sakurako! Would it be okay if I sit with you?"

"Sure Sanjou-san!"

"Don't be so polite! You're my sempai after all- call me Sakurako-chan okay?" Sakurako gave Tsukushi a cheery smile and plopped down. 

"So... how do you know Doumyouji-sempai?"

"I just met him this morning, and he was being a jerk."

"Oh really? I say there's a thin line between love and hate! No need to be shy about it Makino-sempai! How do you really feel about Doumyouji-sempai? Hmm?" Sakurako pressed on as she wiggled a finger towards Tsukushi suggestively. 

"I feel absolutely nothing towards him, and I have to get to my next class now. See you around!"

Tsukushi stood up and walked out of the cafeteria. She never saw the sneer on Sakurako's face. 

~

She attempted to squeeze amidst the crowd of people pushing and grinding against each other. Suddenly the masses parted like the Red Sea, and Tsukushi saw the cause. Three dashingly handsome men were making their way down the hall. The leader of the group was unmistakably Doumyouji Tsukasa, walking like he owned the school (which he in a way, did). Two other men fell to either side of him. One had wavy reddish hair, the other straight jet black. The red-head was strolling jauntily and had obviously said something amusing because the black-haired man was looking at him and laughing quietly to himself. Just by looking at the three, you couldn't tell they were an unfriendly bunch. And then she saw him. The fourth one. Lagging behind the rest with his hands burrowed deep in his pockets. He was a little different from the rest of them. He held a different air about him. A more quiet one, more blended in with the crowd. Not someone who jumped out at you. Ordinary. His face was pointed toward the ground, and his hair hid his eyes. But there was a familiarity about him. Then he looked up. And she just _knew_, knew that it must be him. Slowly, one by one, they all passed her (Doumyouji glared). Even him. He didn't even look her way. He... forgot. She stood there. Paralyzed. Frozen. Motionless. Fixed. Was she hurt? Maybe. Mad? Perhaps. But she forgave him.

"Hey. The lemon madeira cake... it was good."

She was still standing in the same spot when she heard his voice somewhere behind her. He didn't forget. She didn't turn around to face him because she knew he was rooted to his own post too. They stood. Neither facing each other. But she was happy.

He remembered.

~

Author's Notes: Ahh... this took me so long to write! It's probably due to my laziness and lack of inspiration. I do realize I changed Eitoku to a university; hopefully you guys will forgive me. Eheheh... Anyway, I can't believe HYD is officially ending on August 22! It's been so long... and I'll definitely miss it. Only one more issue left. When Rui punched that guy in the last issue I was like "KYAA!" I'll miss him the most. But I also found it pretty amazing that my other story "Un Ciel Bleu" was somewhat like Margaret 2003/15, and my story was out before that issue too (with the taking photos thing)! Sorry, I'm easily excited. -.- Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks to my four reviewers! =) 

**blueverry88**: blue gray eyes, they're my favorite too! =) yes, I do seem to die quite often don't I? thanks for being my first reviewer hehe.

**Iceyflame**: I always smile! =) I'm glad you think it's a good story, and I will try to update more often. I'm a bit slow when it comes to writing. ^^;

**Drina**: Well, now you know who the guy is. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope this keeps on intriguing you! 

**Chi5**: The reason my other chapter was so short is because it's a prelude. I hope you keep on reading! I can see why you like Rui a lot. ^^


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